INTERNET TELEPHONY — September 2010

Feature Articles

An Incremental Approach to LTE

Why and When HSPA+ Makes SenseIf you're a regular reader of INTERNET TELEPHONY, you may remember a March piece I did about how, while there's a ton of talk about LTE and 4G, many wireless service providers expect to invest in 3G for at least a little bit longer. Specifically, the article talked about how AT&T had announced Alcatel-Lucent and Ericsson as its 4G suppliers, yet stipulated that the 3G equipment it received by those vendors this year would have to be software-convertible to LTE.

A Dip in the Pool

LTE patent Pool Could Advance 4GPatent pools can simplify licensing, while reducing aggregate royalties and lowering transaction costs, by offering a single license to broad portfolio of essential patents held by different companies. This can reduce IP risk and encourage the use of patented technologies by making overall IP costs more predictable and transparent. With many companies holding significant LTE IP positions, an LTE patent pool will make it much easier for parties throughout the LTE ecosystem to license essential patents through a streamlined method, on fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory terms.

What's New in Security

New Data, Wireless Threats and the Virtualization AngleWhether we're talking about financial firms, hotels, retailers or the government, no one is safe from those who want to get into their computer systems. And while hacking started out as a hobbyist's game, often involving relatively small numbers of hackers and losses, today hacking is an organized, worldwide, often large-scale, business.

The Hyper-Connected Enterprise

CDNs Go Beyond Web AccelerationFor enterprise communications, the game has changed. The traditional structure of business communications has been disrupted by new levels of mobile connectivity, and companies must adjust. According to Gartner's Diane Morello, "dozens, possibly hundreds of people and parties will have the power to influence company direction, services, products and reputation in the hyper-connected enterprise. They will do so nearly randomly, across global markets, outside official channels and through a nearly infinite web."

Special Focus

TMC's INTERNET TELEPHONY Congratulates IPTV Excellence Awards WinnersTelcos in recent years have looked to home video services, often based on IPTV technology, as a way to complete their product bundles and counterbalance some of their losses on the residential wireline side. Meanwhile, the cable companies and DBS outfits have expanded their video offerings and capabilities on various fronts.